Jan 7, 2014

Chicken cutlets stuffed with spinach, feta and ricotta, then breaded and baked to perfection!

I love making stuffed chicken breast as many as you probably figured out by now. You can stuff chicken with just about anything, and leftovers can be frozen and reheated for your very own homemade frozen meals which are so much better than store bought.

I first experimented with this spinach-feta version back in 2010, and we loved it. My photos were pretty awful back then, so today I decided to make them over! I also changed the recipe slightly to make them easier. Anyone can make these, there are no toothpicks required and the prep time is fairly quick. I served this with a great big salad on the side, but you can also serve it with couscous, rice or quinoa.

And last but not least, Better Homes & Garden's asked me to guest post for their blog, Delish Dish this month. Today I shared my first post: Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Lentil Stew. Please stop by and say hello!

Heat the oil a medium sauté pan. Add onions, garlic and scallions and
sauté about 1 minute. Add spinach, parsley, dill, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and
pepper and cook another minute or until heated through. Remove from heat
and mix in the feta and ricotta cheese.

Season chicken lightly with more kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Place
about 1/4 cup of spinach mixture in the center of the chicken and roll,
then lay the chicken seam side down on a platter or piece of wax paper.
Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Place the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Dip the chicken rolls into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs and
place seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remainder then
lightly spray to top of the chicken with cooking spray. Bake about 25
minutes or until cooked through.

Just found this blog. It's WONDERFUL, you're doing a great job posting these recipes, I'm sure it's helped so many people get on the right track to losing weight!!!Everything looks delicious.... it's feels so much better eating healthy!

Made these tonight. I thought they were great, my husband said they were 'fine'. But, hey, I cook so if I like it that's what matters. I had no ricotta, so used fat-free cottage cheese (I do this with lasagna also). Added greek/mediterranean seasoning-yum. Liked the nutmeg suggestion, too.

Made these last night and it was a hit for me and the hubby! :) I plated them and had slices of lemon to squeeze on them before they were about to be eaten -- gives it a nice acidic touch to it!! Thanks Gina!!!

I was inspired by your chicken and decided to give it a try. I didn't go with your recipe exactly but used the ingredients that I had available. It was delicious! Thanks for the inspiration! I blogged about my chicken so come check it out. http://foodjunkiefromtexas.blogspot.com/2010/03/grilled-spinach-and-ricotta-stuffed.html

This is my favorite recipe so far! The first time I made this, I didn't even get a chance to taste it because my brothers and nephews ate up all the breasts. And they are HELLA picky eaters, so I knew then that this recipe rocked! Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so awesome!

Thanks everyone for leaving your comments! These are fun, the possibilities are endless. I've made an inside out chicken parmesan with this tecnique. Also stuffed them with sauteed mushroom and Swiss. Enjoy!

This was delicious!! My sister and I made this the other night. I love your website. Thanks so much for sharing all of these great eats! :)Blogged about it here: http://mamasmessages.blogspot.com/2010/08/tasty-thursday-feta-and-spinach-stuffed.html

I'm so glad I found this site. I had been wanting to try this recipe for a while, and I finally made it last night. I cooked it for my mom and vegetable averse dad. They loved it! My dad said it looked very gourmet, which I only have you to thank for :). All the Best!

Made this last night and DH and I LOVED it! I'm so thankful to have found this site. Thank you again Gina for creating recipes that are light and most importantly YUMMY!

Paired it with this Shepherd Salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/shepherds-salad-recipe/index.html recipe from Sunny Anderson's "Cooking for Real." I lightened it up by using only 1 Tbsp Olive Oil instead of 4 and 3.5 oz crumbled Fat Free Feta (what was left over from the 6 oz package I bought for the stuffed chicken.) Also used Kalamatas instead of black olives for a more intense punch. Makes 4 - 1 cup servings at 3.25 points ea or 8 - 1/2 cup servings at 2 points ea.

Gina, I made these tonight and my husband and 17 year old daughter and myself all loved them. Yet another 'keeper' from your site! My family thank you!! I have been cooking a lot more since finding your wonderful recipes. 5 for 5, can't wait to try #6 this week (am leaning towards the baked macaroni).

kind of a weird question: one of my roommates is a vegetarian and i want to make something for a little family dinner. any suggestions of what vegetable i could stuff this mixture into so she could have something too? looks sooo good!

This sounds wonderful - can't wait to try it - one question - I am a little confused about something - the recipe calls for 1/2 c. bread crumbs, but you used 4? Maybe I am misreading something! Thanks so much -

HOWEVER - how on Earth do you roll those so cleanly?! Maybe it's because we buy portioned chicken breasts? but splitting one into three cutlets make them so small, I can't wrap anything! Can you do a "tutorial" post on how you make it so pretty??

We enjoyed this tonight. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the cutlets cut right and the chicken was a little torn up, so we didn't do the breadcrumbs. However, it didn't matter because it was still delicious. Thanks so much for sharing.

I didn't want to buy the ricotta, so I just left it out and, wow, these were delicious!! DH loved them! I recommend cutting the breasts half frozen. It makes it so much easier and nicer looking. This recipe is SO MUCH MORE tasty than I thought! (Oh, I'm also interested in knowing if you recommend freazing these after they've been cooked?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Someone advertised your site on MyFitnessPal.com and I have been an addict ever since! Your food looks amazing, I tried the turkey meatloaf cupcake recipe last night with success and tonight I am trying this one! You have given me belief that healthy can be delicious! Thanks again!

Just an update, I tried this recipe tonight with goat cheese substituted in for the ricotta/feta blend cause thats all we had on hand. It was still really good! My husband wasn't too fond of the goat cheese flavor so I'll be trying it again soon with the original recipe! Thanks again =0)

In true spanakopita fashion, add some dill. :0) I am making this tonight and can't wait! I'm pairing it with the roasted cauliflower also from your site. Love ALL your recipes!! Thank you for posting so many great ones!

Hi! I really enjoy your website :) It helps to see recipes that I could make during my weight loss. I made this recipe with my mum for us, dad and my sister. It was delicious! We changed the recipe a bit and used crème fraîche instead of the ricotta and we didn't use scallions. The garlic really gave it a nice taste.

2 things: First, I have never heard of 4C brand, so I wondered the very same thing about the quantity used in the recipe. Second, I have to admit, I am very leery of FF cheeses... what the heck is in it?! and, does it taste good? These are the questions that plague me when it comes to fat free cheese. Of course, the healthy value is reduced substantially if I don't use FF cheese. Thoughts?

Made this tonight for dinner with left over chicken i had in the freeze & spinach and my boyfriend was amazed on how good they were & very filling. It was very easy to follow but baking them in the oven took longer at 350 but still very yummy.. thank you for sharing this recipe

My Boyfriend and I made these the other night and they were so delicious! I am doing WW and I'm literally obsessed with this website. I just found it last week through Pinterest and I have already made your Roasted Green Beans, Italian Wedding Soup, Pasta Bolognese, Roast Beef/Arugula sandwiches, and this chicken...and we have truly loved everything! Thank You so much for a fantastic sight with amazing recipes!

This was to die for!! And who but me could go to their fridge and find the frozen spinach and ricotta and Feta cheese? Me!!! Yahoo!! Just came together perfectly, my better half (Wife)loved it,AND there was enough stuffing to make two omelettes this morning! Again, Thank You!!

Wow, this was amazing! After 25 years, all I expect from my husband is a "it was alright" when he likes something. This got about 3-4 "this is realy good!"s. I followed the recipe pretty close, but my daughter begged me to add sundred tomatoes to hers, and it really added a nice flavor. I will add them to the whole batch next time!!!

I made them last night,my husband said it was good. I accidentlly pick up the wrong feta cheese instead I pick blue cheese but it was good also I had to cook little longer because it wasn't cook long enough.

I made these tonight! They were great and my husband enjoyed them too. I used FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt instead of ricotta (because I didn't have any in the house) and a tablespoon of pesto. Delish! Will definitely make again.

These tasted great. I mangled my chicken breast and got 4 falling apart "cutlets". They held together alright in the oven but weren't nearly as pretty as yours. Practice makes perfect right? Thanks again!

can you make the rolled up chicken in advance and then add the egg wash/breadcrumbs when you're ready to put it into the oven? I'm thinking of serving these soon but would love to assemble ahead of time then pop in the oven when I'm ready...

These are so beautiful Gina, and I don't normally say that about stuffed chicken! If you don't mind me asking, what lens do you use for shots like this? The lack of natural light has been KILLING me this winter when it comes to photography. Do you have any posts where you've explained your lens/lighting setups? Thanks so much in advance!

Thanks Angela, I don't have any posts on photography since I feel there are so many better photographers out there, but rather than a better lens (mine is a Canon 100mm macro lens), you need a camera with an ISO that is high. My Canon 5D goes is great for shooting in low light.

Stuffed chicken breasts are the best, I love experimenting with them too. For me mascarpone and herbs were a big hit, as well as tomatoes and pesto... Can't wait to try your feta and spinach version :)

I made this last night and it was absolutely amazing! Loved it! I'm not even a good cook and it was easy to follow and make and actually tasted delicious. I actually had to use regular bread crumbs b/c that's all I had so I imagine the WW points + may have been a little higher but other than that it worked out beautifully!

I made this Sunday for dinner and it was awesome! Family said it was restaurant quality. I did use nutmeg in the spinach concoction. I also substituted cream cheese for the ricotta. As a binding agent it worked great. Will make this again soon. Thanks ST

I made this last night and it was wonderful. However, the time was way off. Even though my chicken totalled only 1 lb, it took an hour to get the chicken done. I'll make them again but allow an hour for baking. Also, I'll add a seasoning to the breadcrumbs. Thanks for this dish that will now be on my menu.

I made this last night for dinner and LOVED it! It was a hit with my husband and 2.5 year old. My husband first wasnt sure because he doesnt care for feta, but he thought it was great. It was much easier to prepare than I expected and definitely much tastier! I tend to stay away from recipes like this because I'm not a fan of big pieces of chicken (would rather it was chopped and added into something) but I thought this was great! I pounded out the chicken breasts for better rolling. I did use italian breadcrumbs as that's all I had, and cooked for 25min at 375 (because I always worry about undercooking) and then broiled for a few minutes at the end. Totally yummy! Definitely on the Make-Again list :-)

we just finish dinner with this dish, everyone love them, including my picky eaters son and daughter. My husband said to keep the recipe as a must. I didn't have parsley, so i put some coriander instead.

I cannot tell you how delicious this recipe was!! INstead of using the frozen spinach I got a bag of fresh baby spinach and I added some Sumac (a very nice middle eastern spice), will definitely be adding this recipe to our dinner rotation, was excellent! I did use the seasoned bread crumbs and I think it enhanced the flavour.

I've made this a few times already for my boyfriend as well as friends, I serve it with Green Giant roasted potatoes & green beans. so delicious and easy! however I've always omitted the spinach because...well my boyfriend gives me a frowny face every time I mention adding it. I'm thinking of including some tonight, at least in mine, but just wanted to let you all know it's delicious without the spinach :) not as healthy though I suppose!

It was delicious! Don't be afraid to use all the stuffing. It looked like way too much and I thought it'd melt and leak out, but it doesnt. I added a little parm to the bread crumbs and I was going to add a squeeze of lemon to the mixture, but I didn't have any. There will be a next time though! Thanks.

Made 16 of these tonight for dinner. Bought beautiful chicken breasts from Costco and with a very sharp knife was able to thin 8 of then into 16 cutlets.I also added a tbsp. of rosemary and 1/2 tbsp. cayenne to the bread crumbs before rolling. This was a huge huge it. Thank you so much for sharing I am now a fan of your site. Looking forward to many more recipes with you.Michele